2019
Cairn
Sylvie Richard et al., « Évaluation d’un entraînement basé sur le jeu de faire semblant destiné à favoriser le développement des compétences socio-émotionnelles chez les enfants de cinq ans : étude exploratoire », L’Année psychologique, ID : 10670/1.hi9o6l
The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of a pretend play based training program designed to promote the development of socio-emotional competences. Nineteen children aged five years were evaluated using a pre-test, training (experimental group vs control group) and post-test paradigm. The experimental group received an eleven-week, one-hour weekly program during class hours that focused on socio-emotional competences - such as understanding emotions, regulating negative emotions and prosocial behaviour - while the control group received no specific intervention. The level of socio-emotional competences was assessed in the pre-test and post-test using eight measures. The results show a partial improvement in the ability to understand emotions and regulate negative emotions in children who have benefited from the training program. However, no significant progress was observed in the tasks measuring prosocial behaviour for the experimental group. These results suggest that play-based pretend training promotes the development of some aspects of emotional competences, rather than prosocial behaviour.